A Demon of Great Evil
by Daisy Peartree
Summary: Gray faces off against his father who's actually Deliora. An alternate ending to Gray and his father's battle during the Tartaros Arc, based on what I anticipated happening when we thought that it was actually Deliora possessing Silver's corpse. Characters may be a bit OOC.
1. Chapter 1

His blood boiled in his veins, freezing at the speed of liquid nitrogen. Tendrils of seething darkness traveled through his body, searching and paralyzing. The feeling was unbearable. He could feel his heart slowing and speeding up and slowing again at an erratic pace. His body temperature was lowering at an exceedingly fast rate, though sweat dotted his brow. It was impossible for Gray to even think with all the pain coursing through him.

 _Gray was kneeling on the ground, brought to his knees by his father's strength. He was outmatched, that much he knew, but he couldn't stop fighting. Silver towered above Gray, smiling down at him. He was stronger and he knew it._

 _"Do you remember?" Silver asked, eyes shining, "The night your father died? When I destroyed your entire village."_

 _Gray didn't respond, couldn't respond, his breathing still ragged. He remembered alright. That was the night his life ended. When his father died, his mother, his friends, the whole town was razed by Deliora. Gray didn't know what was worse; that his father was dead or that the demon, Deliora, was using the corpse as a vessel._

 _"I remember," Silver continued, "I remember ripping houses apart and crushing people under my feet. I remember killing your father when he stood against me."_

 _He hated Deliora with every fiber of his being. This was the creature that killed all his loved ones. Anger roared to life inside Gray. He sprung into action, positioning his fist in his palm in his standard ice make stance._

Gray's mind was growing fuzzier with each passing second. It was like the pain was erasing who he was.

 _Silver lay on the ground, beaten to a pulp. Gray wasn't much better off, but at least he was still standing. They were both panting heavily. It was possibly the hardest battle Gray had ever fought, but he managed to come out on top._

 _Silver laughed, "You actually beat me. I can't believe you actually beat me."_

 _Gray didn't know how to respond. He wasn't exactly used to his opponents being so positive about their defeat. Of course, he also wasn't used to fighting his dead father who was possessed by the demon that killed him._

 _"The son is more powerful than the father," Silver continued, "But I must be the most powerful of all. Which means I must have you."_

 _Silver began radiating powerful magical energy, tendrils of darkness that reached towards Gray. Gray backed away, afraid. The tendrils just reached farther for him._

 _"What is this?" he asked._

 _"This is me," Deliora's voice came from the groping strings, "And soon to be you."_

 _And the tendrils reached Gray, pulling him to the ground. He screamed in pure agony._

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called, "Gray-sama!"

Through his haze of pain, Gray could just hear her. She was looking worse for wear, but seemed alright. She stumbled through the rubble.

"J-juvia," Gray whispered, "Run."

And then his world turned black. Juvia saw her beloved lying on the ground not too far from his father. She rushed to his side.

"Gray-sama?" she yelled.

He grabbed her arm and pulled himself up. Juvia tried to balance him. He looked up at her. And when she looked into his eyes, she saw within their depths anger and hatred so vast that she felt her heart jump in fear. She couldn't comprehend the vast amounts of darkness in her beloved's eyes. She didn't know that she was no longer supporting Gray but a demon of great evil. And that demon was Deliora.


	2. Chapter 2

"G-gray-sama?" Juvia asked, "What's wrong?"

Gray smiled in response. It was possibly the creepiest thing Juvia had ever seen. She tried to back away, but Gray grabbed her wrist. His grip was too tight to be anything less than threatening.

"Gray-sama," Juvia said, "You're hurting Juvia."

"Oh?" he replied in a voice that was so very different from his own.

He leaned closer, the same disturbing smile on his face. Juvia leaned away a bit. He was within kissing distance, which she noticed out of habit, but she could not imagine kissing him now. His demeanor was too strange.

"You're scaring Juvia too," she whispered.

He stretched his grin even further, past the point where it even resembled a grin, "Good."

And then Juvia knew, more than she ever knew anything else in her entire life. It was like the truth hit her in the stomach, a simple punch to the gut. It almost literally hurt. This wasn't Gray. He couldn't be.

"Who are you?" she asked voice trembling.

"You wouldn't know my name if I told it to you," Gray responded, "Not on the level Gray did."

"Gray-sama?" Juvia whispered, "What happened to Gray-sama?"

And Gray's look was one that Juvia hoped she'd never have to see again. It was a look that ripped the air from her lungs and made her toenails curl. It was the look of pure evil.

"I took his body," Gray said, spastic laughter ringing out, "I am the demon, Deliora. One of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartoros. And I have taken your Gray-sama's body and power for my own."

Juvia couldn't think. This couldn't be. Her Gray-sama, possessed by a demon. It was neither feasible nor possible. This was the stuff of nightmares; the kinds of things that came to her in the dead of night when her mind was most susceptible. This was what Keyes meant when she asked her if she was afraid to lose her Gray-sama.

Thinking of that one moment in the battle, when her worst fears were voiced, gave Juvia the strength to wrench her wrist from the demon's grasp. She didn't know why that moment was what gave her the power to do it. It didn't instill any primeval fear or anger or even joy. It simply gave her the strength she needed. And while Gray was still reeling from her sudden pull, Juvia did the only thing she could think to do.

"Water whip!"

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Juvia's attack was the last thing that Deliora expected. He thought she'd cry or beg for him to let her beloved go. He'd planned to torture her with the knowledge of her Gray being used by a demon and, consequently, torture the boy who owned the body. That might have been more fun. But, in the end, the girl attacked and that was okay.

"Ice Make: Hammer!" Deliora roared, sending Gray's magic at Juvia as soon as he regained balance.

Juvia tried to dodge, but was too slow. She was still weak from her battle against Keyes. The hammer smashed into her, sending her flying into a chunk of wall. She cried out in pain and dropped to her knees.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Deliora yelled, nailing Juvia before she could recover from hitting the wall.

He kept hitting her with more magic, not stopping until he was sure that she couldn't get back up. It was too rapid for Juvia to fight back. She just had to endure the beating. When Deliora finally stopped, Juvia could barely move.

"You weakling," Deliora hissed, "Is that all the better you can do?"

Juvia riled a bit at the insult, but she was unable to retaliate. Deliora laughed and made for the final blow to finish the girl off. But then, he stopped. He looked almost confused for a moment. Then, he seemed a bit afraid.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia whispered.

Quickly his expression became one of disinterest. Juvia watched in confusion as Deliora turned and walked away. It looked like he was going to kill her. He could have. She was helpless against him. So then, why had Deliora stopped short?

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Gray felt trapped, completely helpless as his body and magic destroyed Juvia. He was killing her. No! Deliora was killing her. Gray couldn't stop him, even though he knew what was going to happen. He could see what Deliora was going to do before he did it, almost as if it was Gray's idea first.

Gray knew what the last blow was to be. He could feel his magic gather to do it. But he could also see the hopelessness in Juvia's eyes. She couldn't even move from all the hits she had taken. Gray was ashamed and angry, but Deliora felt far differently.

"You weakling. Is that all the better you can do?"

Deliora grasped at Gray's magic, preparing to mold it into Juvia's demise. Gray couldn't do anything, but watch. He was angry. He shouldn't be so helpless. It was his magic, his body. He wouldn't be able to live if he killed Juvia, one of his nakama. He had to stop it, if only he could.

And before Deliora could release the magic Gray used all of his mental strength to shout one resounding _No!_

For a moment Gray was catapulted back into control. He quickly dropped the spell that he was going to do, though it was a subconscious action. He wasn't sure if it was real. How could one word stop Deliora when all of Gray's previous attempts failed?

"Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, a hopeful light in her eyes.

And just like that Gray was thrown to the back of his mind and Deliora was in control again. Only this time Deliora was a little more scared. Gray could fight back. But Deliora's grip was so tight that it was near impossible at that moment. Fortunately, instead of continuing to murder Juvia, Deliora left. He must have truly feared Gray to stop so suddenly. And for the last time in a while, Gray felt a bit of satisfaction. He saved one person, at least.


End file.
